


Bullets in the Wall

by Akiko_Natsuko



Series: Reaper76 [28]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Blood, Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Memories, Old Age, Reconciliation, Retirement, Serious Injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-19
Updated: 2018-10-19
Packaged: 2019-07-30 01:10:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16276097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akiko_Natsuko/pseuds/Akiko_Natsuko
Summary: Jack had never thought they would even get to retirement, perhaps it makes sense that they're attempt seems to be coming to an end in a hail of bullets.





	Bullets in the Wall

   Jack couldn’t hold back a hiss as Gabriel carefully worked on the bullet wound on his shoulder, but he managed to shake his head when his husband promptly tried to apologise, knowing that it needed to be done. He could just do without it hurting so much. He missed the days when it had been easier to ride out the pain from such wounds, the days when his body had been quicker to heal itself, because although the enhancements were still there they were slowing by the day, worn thin by trying to keep his aging body going in general. Gabriel had it better, those original enhancements aided by his nanites, but the years were starting to show now, streaks of white and grey twisted in amongst his hair and those were what Jack focused on now, reaching out and tugging lightly at one, earning a strained smile from Gabriel.

“This is going to hurt.” It took a moment for the warning to register and he blinked, eyes grainy after having to use his visor for the first time in months and he tilted his head to realise that Gabriel had finished cleaning the worst of the blood and dirt away from the wound, a grimace twisting his lips as he realised that he could see the bullet.

“Do it,” he muttered, wishing that he sounded more certain than he did, and he sighed as he saw Gabriel hesitate at his tone, forcing a smile onto his face, fingers twisting into Gabriel’s hair. “I trust you.” It was the right thing to say, Gabriel immediately relaxing a little and taking a deep breath and Jack closed his eyes, bracing himself for the pain even as he savoured the fact that it was so easy these days to say the right thing.

    It had been a long time coming. Their miscommunication issues that had started long before Zurich had continued and worsened during the Recall, Jack unable to see past the Reaper persona that Gabriel had adopted and Gabriel unable to see that Jack had really changed, that he wasn’t as naïve as he had been in the past. They had clashed and fought, undermining each other’s efforts to find the truth and hurting each other with words and bullets. In the end, it had been another betrayal that had brought them together. Talon turning on Gabriel during a fight because he had started to get a little too close to the truth, a little too close to what had happened in Zurich. It had been pure luck that they had both survived, because Jack hadn’t thought about what he was doing, charging in to cover the man he had been fighting only seconds before once he’d realised what was happening.

   It had been his team that had saved their asses and hauled them back to base, with Gabriel already arguing that he hadn’t needed their help, that he hadn’t needed Jack’s help. But with nowhere else to go, and no allies to turn to, he had wound up staying with Overwatch. It had been an awkward few months, with Gabriel slowly working through his issues with everyone apart from Jack, the two of them barely managing civility around the others let alone in private. He still wasn’t sure which of them had broken first, just that somehow, they had found themselves up in the privacy of the communication tower, the dam breaking in a flurry of fists and angry words, accusations spat through bloody lips, grievances dating back years being flung into the ring.

   The fight had ended with them slumped against one another, both breathing heavily and in dire need of a trip to the infirmary. Yet for the first time in years they had felt almost at ease around one another, and neither of them had dared to move, frightened to break the fragile peace that had descended. At some point Gabriel’s arm had crept around his shoulders, pulling him close and Jack’s head had fallen against his shoulder. Someone murmuring ‘I miss you’, a ripple in the silence that had fallen until the other had replied ‘me too’. It wasn’t an apology or forgiveness, that would come months later, but it was a start, a turning point. It had…

   Jack screamed. A horrible, garbled noise that he hastily tried to muffle with a fist against his mouth, chest heaving as his eyes flew open again just in time to see Gabriel lifting the bullet away, glaring daggers at it before he banished it through the shadows. “A little warning would have been appreciated,” Jack grumbled, the words coming out more strained than he’d intended, and he winced as he slumped back against the wall.

“You always tense up if I warn you,” Gabriel retorted without heat, fingers gentle as he moved to wipe away the fresh blood and bandage the wound, pausing when he realised that Jack was still breathing heavily and trembling under his touch. “Are you okay?” Jack shot him an incredulous look, before sighing and letting his head fall back against the wall.

“I’ll live.” The _for now_ remained unspoken for the time being, neither of them ready to address their current situation or just how screwed they might be, although from the way Gabriel scowled, he had picked up on the unspoken words.

“What were you thinking about?” He asked instead as he resumed his work, and Jack was distracted for a moment just watching him. How many times had they done this? Hiding away in a secluded corner and hastily patching the other up. Probably too many times…too many times, he corrected as he studied the scars on Gabriel’s face, remembering all the times that Ana and Angela had reamed them out for doing it themselves rather than seeking them out. Not that they’d had a choice this time. Ana was somewhere in Germany, finally enjoying a peaceful retirement with Reinhardt, although the last time they had spoken to Pharah it had sounded like the pair were getting antsy again and trying to get involved in the action again.

They were welcome to it, he thought with a grimace, feeling Gabriel nudging him and realising that he hadn’t answered.

“The past and retirement,” he had to chuckle at his own words, letting his gaze wander around the trashed remains of their apartment, tracing the bullet holes littering the walls. It could have been a lot worse, but that wasn’t saying much he realised with a sigh. Gabriel finished bandaging him without a word, although the furrowing of his forehead told Jack that he was considering his words and he let him be, trying to distract himself from and slumped down beside him, pressing against him, a reassuring warmth at his side as the other man followed his gaze.

“So, is this what you imagined retirement would be like?”

“Normal retirement, no,” Jack sighed, leaning into his husband. He had dreamt of a normal retirement once upon a time, back when Overwatch had been rising to its pinnacle and before they had embarked on the disastrous course that had seen that dream burned to the ground along with Zurich. He had envisioned the country farm, a throwback to his childhood, the dog they had always talked about getting but had never been able to have with their jobs. The image was as strong as it had been back then, even though it was something that he hadn’t thought of in years. In fact, he had started to doubt they would ever get to retire, neither of them had been ready to abandon their self-imposed search for the truth and even when they had reconciled and gone back to being Jack and Gabe he had thought that they would die in the battlefield.

   Then everything had come out, the Talon tendrils that had crept through Overwatch under his nose back then, the lies, the plans for a world conflict that would benefit the strongest and wealthiest. And at its summit, Petras. Jack didn’t think he had ever hated anyone as much as he had hated the former director in that moment, the smugness, the complete and utter belief that his actions which had destroyed so many lives had been justified. It had been Gabriel that had stopped him from ending things there and then, the irony of which hadn’t been lost on him, and he had known just how much Gabriel had struggled with that decision, had felt it in the way his hand had trembled when he had pulled his gun down and away. Instead they had tossed Petras to the public and watched the chaos that ensued. Chaos that had seen Overwatch vindicated, the Petras Act torn apart…

   That had been two years ago. For the first year they had stayed with the officially re-established Overwatch, helping them rebuild, trying to do what they could to support Fareeha who had been appointed the new Strike Commander and to make sure that the past wouldn’t be repeated. However, it had become clear that the old guard whilst welcomed was no longer needed. Ana and Reinhardt had been the first to retire, and then Tjorbörn had followed, arguing that he had grandchildren to spoil. Jack had thought about it too, but he hadn’t known how to raise the issue with his husband and after everything he wasn’t going to leave without Gabriel, not when they had finally got back to how they’d been in the past. In the end, it had taken another near miss to bring the subject to the fore, and to his surprise it had been Gabriel that raised it.

_Jack had roused slowly, fighting his way up through layers of unconsciousness and immediately regretting it when he had become aware of the pain radiating through his entire body. He hadn’t been able to hold back a groan, the feeling of fingers tightening around his own telling him he wasn’t alone and as he became more aware he felt more fingers in his hair, drawing soothing circles against his scalp and he leant into the touch as he gathered himself for the final push towards consciousness._

_When he finally managed to coax his eyes open it was to be greeted with Gabriel’s worried face, and he tried to smile to reassure him, only to move at the same time and realise what a mistake was that as his attempt became a gasp of pain. At once Gabriel was leaning forward, urging him to stay still and murmuring soothing words even as he called for Angela._

_He must’ve passed out again, because when he roused again it was to find that the pain had been reduced to a manageable level, and that Gabriel was no longer beside him holding his hand but pacing restlessly at the end of his bed._

_“That does it,” Gabriel had spoken before he could say anything, pausing to stare at him with an intensity that had Jack sinking back into the pillows in a futile attempt to escape it. “I’ll be damned if I watch you get yourself killed in a battle now that there’s no need for it.”_

_“But…”_

_“We’re old Jack,” Gabriel’s voice had softened as he cut across his protest, finally moving to retake the seat at his side and reaching out to take his hand. “It’s time for us to take a leaf out of Ana and Reinhardt’s book.”_

   Part of him had thought that it was just words, but that had been their last field mission and barely three months later he had found himself moving into this small apartment. It was nothing like the farmhouse he had dreamed of when he was younger, but it was theirs and that was all that mattered. It had taken time to adjust to living in an actual home and not a base, to just having the two of them to worry about, to living surrounded by people who didn’t know what they had been through. People who didn’t know the secrets behind their scars, or the strange mist that would follow Gabriel wherever he went. It had been strange. It had been frightening. It had been wonderful.

And now it seemed to be at an end.

   They had always known that there was a risk of old enemies tracking them down, Sombra had been keeping them in the loop and they knew that Overwatch had already foiled several attacks against them, without telling them, something they would need to scold Fareeha about. If they made it out of this one that was, because this attack had come from nowhere, catching them by surprising in the sleepy moments after waking, and it had only been instincts honed over the years that had allowed Gabriel to get them to cover after Jack had taken the bullet to the shoulder. So far there had been no further movement, leaving them both tense and on edge, unsure if their attackers had just assumed their first attack had been successful or if their reputations was just making their assailants be extra cautious.

   They both froze as they finally heard movement near the front door, exchanging a sideways glance and Jack blinked when Gabriel shifted, mist rising around them and suddenly he found himself cradling the familiar weight of his old pulse rifle, a loud click beside him confirming that Gabriel had his own weapons. He lifted an eyebrow, enjoying the way his husband squirmed under his gaze before shrugging with a sheepish grin. “Old habits die hard…” Jack couldn’t help it, snorting as he checked his rifle, hearing the door shuddering as their attackers finally decided to get serious about getting inside, and he paused. His gaze shifting between the two of them, two old soldiers with weapons that were rapidly being outstripped by new technology and the shuddering door and shook his head with a soft chuckle.

“However, I think this pretty much sums up what we could expect from our retirement…”


End file.
